Google is going big on Windows apps for Chromebook laptops

Google has offered more details on the plan to bring the Windows experience to Chromebook laptops.

Last month Google revealed it would partner with the Parallels visualisation software to bring full featured Windows applications to Chromebook Enterprise users.

However, in a new interview, Google has indicated the integration will be a fully-fledged project that will enable many more Chromebook users to run apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint in their native desktop form.

Cyrus Mistry, group product manager for Chrome OS told The Verge, that Parallels Desktop will boot a full copy of Windows alongside the Chrome OS and the Android apps they’re already running. You can see an example pictured above.

Mistry used the analogy of needing to play a VHS tape once in a while, alongside your Dolby Atmos home cinema system. The idea being that users will be able to jump in and out of the native Windows desktop apps they need.

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Mistry said: “The analogy I give is that yes, the world is all state of the art and Dolby Atmos home theaters, but every once in a while you do have that old wedding video on a VHS that you need to get to.

“We want to make sure you have that option [for Windows apps] as well… so that every once in a while you’ll be able to get that when you need it, but we don’t want that to be the world you’re living in.”

We’re not sure that analogy is particularly kind to Microsoft, or that accurate, but nonetheless we get what Mistry is trying to say here. The need to run the entire operating system won’t always be necessary, with Google promising access to specific adds, likely using the Parallels Coherence feature.

“In the future we’ll have other types of things where you don’t even have to run the whole Windows desktop, you’ll just run the app you need,” explains Mistry. “We are trying to make it as seamless as possible.”

Google hasn’t informed users what the minimum specs will be yet, but it appears you’ll need a higher-end Chromebook running an Intel i5 or i7 processor.

Chris Smith

Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He's based in South Florida, USA.  …